Huge, Obscuring Clouds

We are in our long dark winter days. Some people can suffer from light deprivation and become depressed. I sometimes feel that when the days are dark and when there are things on my mind that trouble me, like the huge cloud in the sky yesterday these feelings loom and won't dissipate very easily. Wrong counsel during these sorts of times can cloud what we believe to be the Truth too.

I was thinking of the importance of keeping our thoughts focused on the Truth. If we don't, the little discrepancies in our thought life can become persuasive enough that they will even topple the major truths we believe so that they are set aside in pursuit of the less fulfilling "bobbles" this life dangles within our grasp. Upon grasping these seemingly harmless attractions, the spirit will languish into a deepening depression, especially on long and dark days.

With God there is hope and forgiveness. I am thankful for His never-ending presence, guidance and especially His overwhelming and redeeming Love.

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Whose counsel are you enjoying today?

I remember the small steps to sin being pointed out to me. We take these wayward steps -away from God- when we decide to follow counsel that is not the Truth, in order to follow what we feel our hearts desire is. I underlined the words in this beautiful chapter in Psalms above to point out those steps here.

First, we walk or commune with someone or something that is not truthful. Then we stop to stand in the way that is in error. Lastly, feeling comforted in our chosen sin we will sit down with those whose counsel we have decided to accept. Sinning is not something that comes suddenly upon us, it is something we have willingly embraced and justified in our hearts.

As for the long, dark days here in Alaska - we learn to cope by using candles, handcrafts, reading, baking, family get-togethers and even the internet! The daylight has begun to stay longer now. If my sister Mil was able to she would be informing me by how many minutes - exactly! I miss your counsel Mil!